German Cinema
The devastation of World War One left Germany's budding film industry, like much of Europe, in tatters. But necessity being the mother of invention, German Expressionism was born. Relying heavily on symbolism and shadow rather than elaborate and costly sets, films like 'The Cabinet of Dr Caligari' are still studied by film students the world over. By the mid-1920s, the industry was getting back on its feet and great directors like Fritz Lang and FW Murnau were making their early masterpieces. However the onset of Nazism and the impending war led many of Germany's artists, including filmmakers, to flee to the U.S. Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, Douglas Sirk, Karl Freund and many more all continued their careers in America while the German film industry virtually disappeared. It was not unitl the '60s and '70s that new talents emerged. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, Viktor Schlondorff and Wim Wenders revitalised German cinema and today international hits such as 'Run Lola Run' and 'Goodbye Lenin!' assure us it is here to stay.
Right: 'Run Lola Run'
The Marquise of O (1976)
7.3/10
Director: Eric Rohmer
Starring: Bruno Ganz, Edith Clever
Faithful to the Heinrich von Kleist novella, this German-made drama from French filmmaker Eric Rohmer stars Edith Clever as the widowed German noblewo... Read more
Killer Condom (1997)
5.3/10
Director: Martin Walz
Starring: Udo Samel, Peter Lohmeyer, Iris Berben, Marc Richter, Leonard Lansink
Based on Ralph Konig's celebrated comic book, this over-the-top German import tells of a living, squirming, and worst of all, biting condom that grips... Read more
The Whore (2011)
5.4/10
Director: Hansjorg Thurn
Starring: Thure Riefenstein, Alexandra Neldel
Based on the international best-seller by Iny Lorentz, and set in Konstanz, at a time when the Church is struggling to maintain its moral authority. M... Read more
Vampyr (1932)
7.6/10
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Starring: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel
With 'Vampyr', Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer's brilliance at achieving mesmerizing atmosphere and austere, profoundly unsettling imagery ('The... Read more
Leben fur Leben ( Life for Life ) (1991)
Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
In 1941, a young Silesian, Jan, manages to escape from Auschwitz. In retaliation, the camp commandant condemns 10 prisoners to the 'starvation bunker... Read more
The Bridge (Die Brucke) (1959)
8.6/10
Director: Bernhard Wicki
Starring: Fritz Wepper, Folker Bohnet, Michael Hinz, Frank Glaubrecht
Bernhard Wicki's Oscar-nominated directorial debut, this is an excellent little film with no known names on the roster. In the final days of World War... Read more
In the Fade (Aus dem Nichts) (2017)
7.1/10
Director: Fatih Akin
Starring: Diane Kruger, Adam Bousdoukos, Numan Acar, Denis Moschitto
Katja's life falls apart in the blink of an eye when two neo-Nazis kill her husband and 6-year-old son in a bomb attack. Her quest for justice soon pu... Read more
The Airlift (2005)
6/10
Director: Dror Zahavi
Starring: Heino Ferch, Ulrich Tukur, Bettina Zimmermann
Set in post-WW2 Berlin, the two-part drama, The Airlift, encapsulates a sweeping love story between a German woman and an American soldier. After her... Read more
Eden (2006)
7.2/10
Director: Michael Hofmann
Starring: Josef Ostendorf, Charlotte Roche, Devid Striesow, Max Rudlinger
A curious and piognant romantic drama that sensitively unfurls the relationship between Eden, a married but lonely waitress, and her hulking and socia... Read more
Metropolis (Reconstructed & Restored) ( Blu-ray ) (1927)
8.3/10
Director: Fritz Lang
Starring: Alfred Abel, Brigitte Helm, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Gustav Frohlich
Fritz Lang's masterwork, set in a towering city of the future whose populace is divided between the idle ruling class and the dehumanized workers who... Read more